Jinks
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The word Jinks or Jinx is defined in the dictionary as a person, thing, or influence that is supposed to bring bad luck or destroys the point of something else. Combining the word with the title of Mister or Mr. has been used in Twentieth Century popular Western culture to describe a person with a whimsical, sly, or sardonic sense of humor, or an individual or character who is goofy or unusual.
The below are a known uses of the "Jinks" or derivations thereof:
Mr. Jinks Buys A Dress
One of the first known uses of the word in 20th Century popular culture occurred in 1913 when it was used as the title of a short comedy staring actor and director Jerold T. Hevener entitled, Mr. Jinks Buys a Dress.
Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks
The name later appeared in popular culture as referring to Mr. Jinks (a.k.a. Jinksy), an animated orange cat on Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks, a regular segment of the television series The Huckleberry Hound Show.
The show was produced by Hanna-Barbera and ran from 1958 until 1962. Mr. Jinks, who was characterized as a hip cat who spoke in beatnik lingo, was voiced by Daws Butler.
In the cartoons, Mr. Jinks would have adventures and mishaps as he chased two mice named Pixie and Dixie. The adventures sometimes included a friend of Mr. Jinks named Howard the Cat.
The theme of the show was a low budget version of Hanna-Barbera's old Tom And Jerry cartoons, with the addition of another mouse. The cartoon was less violent than Tom and Jerry, and unlike the frequently malevolent and sinister Tom, the headstrong and oafish Jinks was, in reality, too dense to pose much of a real threat to the mice.
Pixie and Dixie and Mr. Jinks is probably best remembered for Mr. Jinks' ungrammatical lament, "I hate those 'meeces' to pieces!".
Meet The Parents
Jinxy was further popularized in the 2000 movie, Meet the Parents, in which former CIA officer Jack Byrnes (played by Robert DeNiro), demonstrates to male nurse, Greg Focker (played by Ben Stiller), how his pet cat, Mr. Jinx or Jinxy Cat, can wave hello, jump into Jack’s arms, and even use the toilet, though he cannot flush it because he lacks opposable thumbs.
Although highly prized by Jack for his many talents, Mr. Jinx lacks outdoor survival skills and is prone to escaping from the house. After Jinxy escapes from the house, Jack gets into an argument with his daughter, Deborah Byrnes (played by Teri Polo). Jack is particularly upset that Mr. Jinx has been left to wander the streets without food, water, or a toilet, and that Deborah does not seem to care. Jack's fury at Jinxy's escape and his love of the cat is poignantly demonstrated when he screams at his daughter, "That cat's been like a brother to you!"
Likewise, Greg is not impressed by Jinxy's skills and abilities because he claims to be a dog person. After Greg loses the highly-valued cat, he is forced to acquire an imposter Mr. Jinx as a substitute until the original Jinxy can be located. In an effort to hide his deception, Greg paints the imposter Jinxy to match the fur of the original Jinxy. When the ruse is discovered, pandimonium ensues and Greg is further ostracized from his girlfriend's parents.
During one particularly well remembered scene, Greg accidentally shoots a champagne cork at the urn containing the ashes of Jack's mother. The urn falls and shatters, spilling the ashes upon the floor. To the horror of all parties involved, Mr. Jinx promptly commences to urinate upon them.
The cat who played Jinxy in the film also previously starred in Homeward Bound II (as "Sassy"), and was voiced by Sally Field.
DC Comics
Jinx is also a supervillain who appears in the DC Comics universe. Jinx first appeared in Tales of the Teen Titans #56 (August 1985), where she joined the supervillain group, the Fearsome Five, a frequent enemy of the Teen Titans, Superman and the Outsiders. She has also been a member of Villainy Inc.
Jinx is an Indian elemental sorceress who has cancer. Her powers include the ability to command elements such as air, the manipulation of magical energy, the ability to dissolve matter, and the power to create ground tremors. To date, her real name has not been revealed.
In the DC Comic 52 (Week Twenty-Six), the children of Captain Marvel arch-villan Doctor Sivana, Sivana, Jr. and Georgia, are observed racing up the stairs from the basement, with Thaddeus, Jr. exclaiming, "I get to use the suspendium globe after dinner," and Georgia shouting, "Jinx! You owe me a Coke!"
Jinks Music Festival
Jinks is the annual youth festival organised by National Institute of Foundry and Forge Technology, held in mid-February every year in Ranchi, India.
The festival spans 3 days and comprises more than 35 events. It is one of the most popular college festivals in eastern India.
Other
- Actress Halle Berry portrayed a National Security Agency agent named Jinx who helps James Bond prevent a global catastrophe in the 2002 movie, Die Another Day.
- The name was also used as the title of the little seen 2003 thriller, Mr. Jinx, written and directed by Henry Jones.
- Jinx.com is a website that sells clothing for computer "gamers and geeks".
- Jinx is a graphic novel published by Image comics, written and drawn by Brian Michael Bendis. It is prequel to the same author’s A.K.A. Goldfish, telling the story of Jinx, a female bounty hunter and her relationship with David Goldfish, a con-artist and wanted felon.
- "Mr. Jinx", a song by the hip-hop band from Iceland, Quarashi that appeared on their 2002 release, "Jinx".
- "Jinx" is also the name of an alien crewman from the webcomic, Starslip Crisis.
- "Jinkies!" was the catchphrase of Velma Dinkley's from the Saturday morning cartoon show, Scooby Doo.